Soccer season kicks off

LYNN n There have only been two champions in the history of the Lynn City Soccer Tournament n the Classical boys and the St. Mary’s girls. Those 3-year streaks will be put on the line next week with the opening rounds on Tuesday and Wednesday, and the championship games on Saturday, Sept. 12.?It’s a great tournament and a great way to kick off the season,” Classical boys coach Joe Skahan said. “It’s for bragging rights in the city, and the kids really take pride in coming out victorious.”The Rams and Tech boys open the tournament on Tuesday (5), followed by English and St. Mary’s in the nightcap (7). The girls take over on Wednesday, with the same pairings and times. This is the Tech girls first time in the tourney, which makes it an all-Lynn event.The boys championship game will be a week from today (2:45), preceded by the consolation game (10:45 a.m.). The final round for the girls will also be played on Saturday, with the championship game (7) and the consolation game (9 a.m.). All games are at Manning Field.Three-time defending champ St. Mary’s is still the favorite in the girls bracket, but the gap between the rest of the field may be narrowing. Last season, St. Mary’s beat English, 1-0, in the final on a goal by Amanda Webster, who is now playing college soccer at Santa Clara.?It was one of the better games we played last year,” English girls coach Ed McNeil said. “There are a couple of times (the Spartans have) beaten us pretty badly, but we’re getting closer to them. We just couldn’t score.”English is buoyed by the return of senior Megan Forti, who was the team’s primary offensive force during her freshman and sophomore seasons but missed all of last year with a knee injury.Tech is making its foray into the tournament, and while the Tigers won’t be a favorite, they certainly won’t be a pushover for either of the two teams they end up playing.?They’ve come a long way,” McNeil said. “We’ve had Savio (Prep) and Pope John in there in the past, but now having Tech as the fourth team gives the tournament an entirely Lynn flavor.”The Classical boys are also considered the favorites, but the familiarity of the opponents in the tournament tends to negate at least some of the advantage the Rams may have on the field. The Rams had a scrimmage at Manning Field on Friday just after English wrapped up a practice, and there was some verbal jousting between the two teams.?It’s all good-natured, of course, but there’s a lot of pride on the line whenever two city teams play each other,” English boys coach Kerry King said.Adding to the drama was Classical’s win last year over English, in a shootout. The Rams return several key players who helped the team finish second in the Northeastern Conference’s large school division, including MVP Miguel Castro.?As they say, you can throw the records out the window whenever there’s a tournament like this,” Classical’s Skahan said. “English is our rival, and it’s a great game whenever we play them. St. Mary’s is never an easy opponent, and I know they have a new coach (Mike D’Agostino) who’s been working them hard, and Tech always plays hard.”Skahan says the atmosphere of a tournament involving rivals is both a good and a bad thing. While it’s good to have a full immersion experience early in the season, it can sometimes be overwhelming for some of the younger players.?It’s always interesting to see how the kids react,” he said. “It’s a great tournament and a great way to start what hopefully for us will be a successful season.”According to St. Mary’s athletic director Jeff Newhall, who is overseeing the event, tickets to the Lynn City Soccer Tournament are $5, and all the proceeds support Special Olympics. Harrington Trophy donated the championship hardware, and Neatco is awarding a soccer bag to the MVPs of the tournament.